Vanessa smiled.
The smile was kind and gentle, like any elder who doted on their juniors.
“Don’t be nervous.”
She said.
“I just want to chat with you.”
She stood up, slowly walked down the steps, and approached Freya.
Those blue eyes never left Freya’s face.
“You have grown up—”
She said, her voice carrying a hint of emotion.
“You look exactly like your mother did when she was young.”
Freya’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Vanessa stopped three paces away from her.
She reached out, seemingly wanting to stroke Freya’s face, but stopped just before touching her.
“Don’t be afraid.”
She whispered.
“I mean no harm.”
Freya looked at her.
She looked at those gentle light blue eyes and that kind smile.
She saw that face that was exactly the same as in the memories of her previous life, never changing.
“What would Your Majesty like to talk about?”
The Queen slowly withdrew her hand.
She smiled softly.
“About you.”
She said.
“About the… troubles you have encountered at the Academy lately.”
She paused.
“And about that child named Irina.”
Freya’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The smile on the Queen’s lips deepened.
“I know—”
She said.
“You don’t like her.”
Sunlight fell between the two of them, illuminating everything clearly.
Freya stood there, motionless.
But she knew—
The true confrontation was only just beginning.
At that moment, Freya gave a soft smile.
The smile was faint, like thin ice that had just melted on the surface of a lake in early spring.
It was fleeting, yet carried an indescribable meaning.
She did not answer the Queen’s question directly.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on a nearby soft sofa covered in silk brocade.
“May I sit, Your Majesty?”
Her voice was very light, possessing the right amount of politeness and a faint trace of aloofness.
Vanessa’s smile froze for a moment.
She clearly had not expected this reaction.
According to her plan, Freya should have defended herself or tried to clarify her relationship with Irina.
Then she could have slowly torn down her defenses and probed her true thoughts.
But Freya did not take the bait.
She simply asked if she could sit.
It was as if this conversation was nothing more than an optional bit of small talk to her.
The smile on Vanessa’s face stalled for a second.
Then she nodded slightly, her movements elegant and restrained.
“Of course.”
Freya walked to the sofa and sat down gently.
Her posture was natural, neither stiff nor deliberately relaxed.
She simply sat there like someone who had happened to pass by and come in to rest her feet.
Sunlight poured down from the high windows, falling on her pale purple hair and casting a soft glow.
She looked up, that faint smile still on her lips.
“You must be joking.”
Her voice was as calm as if she were discussing today’s weather.
“I am not familiar with Irina at all, so how could there be liking or hating?”
The smile on the Queen’s face froze for a second time.
This time, it lasted longer.
Something flashed through those blue eyes—
It was too fast, almost impossible to catch.
But Freya caught it.
It was surprise.
It was unexpected.
A piece had suddenly appeared in her carefully prepared chess game that she had not accounted for.
The smile on Freya’s lips deepened slightly.
She continued to speak, her tone as relaxed as if she were chatting about domestic trifles.
“When Irina transferred here, I happened to be at home on leave.
By the time I returned, she was already…
Well, very popular.”
She paused and tilted her head slightly, as if recalling something.
“After that, I didn’t spend much time with her. I would only see her occasionally in the canteen and exchange greetings.
To be honest—”
She looked at the Queen, her pale purple eyes as clear as a spring.
“I really don’t know much about her.”
Vanessa’s fingers tightened imperceptibly.
She looked at Freya.
She looked at that calm face, those clear eyes, and that faint smile.
She suddenly realized one thing—
This girl was much more difficult to deal with than she had imagined.
Freya did not seem to notice the Queen’s silence.
She turned her head slightly, as if she had suddenly remembered something interesting.
“Oh, speaking of which…”
She paused, the smile on her lips deepening further.
“Irina and the Crown Prince seem to get along quite happily.”
The Queen’s brow twitched slightly.
Freya continued speaking, her tone carrying a hint of perfect innocence.
“I often see them together.
The library, the training ground, the canteen…
The Crown Prince seems to take great care of her.”
She looked at the Queen, her pale purple eyes filled with sincere curiosity.
“Could it be—”
She drew out her voice.
“That the Crown Prince likes Irina?”
The Queen’s expression finally changed.
The change was subtle, so subtle that an ordinary person would not have noticed it.
But Freya noticed.
She saw the flash of coldness deep within those blue eyes.
Then she laughed softly.
The smile was as brilliant as a flower in full bloom.
“That would be wonderful!”
Her voice carried heartfelt joy.
“I believe Your Majesty is beautiful and kind-hearted, so you certainly won’t mind Irina’s background.
After all—”
She paused, gazing at the Queen with a sincere look.
“Love does not distinguish between the noble and the lowly.”
The corner of the Queen’s mouth twitched slightly.
Freya continued, sounding more and more delighted as she spoke.
“I’m sure it won’t be long before Your Majesty has a daughter-in-law!
The Crown Prince and Irina will surely live a harmonious life.
When they have a few babies, Your Majesty will even have grandchildren to hold!”
She pressed her hands together lightly, her face full of sincere blessings.
“Perhaps His Majesty the Emperor would also agree with your suggestions.
After all—”
She tilted her head slightly, her smile radiant.
“Since you love the Crown Prince so much, you would surely fulfill his heart’s desire, wouldn’t you?”
The hall fell silent.
Very silent.
It was so quiet that one could hear the rustle of the wind blowing through the leaves outside the window.
The Queen stood there, motionless.
The gentle smile on her face had completely vanished.
In its place was an expression Freya had never seen before.
The expression was complex.
It was as complicated as a mass of tangled threads.
One could not distinguish which strand was anger, which was shock, and which was—
Wariness.
Freya looked at her.
She watched the color drain bit by bit from that well-maintained face.
She watched the dark undercurrents swirling in those blue eyes.
She watched the slightly tightening fingers and the nearly imperceptible sign of clenched teeth.
The smile on Freya’s lips deepened a bit more.
But she did not let it show.
She simply sat there quietly, like a truly innocent and kind girl who was happy for the Queen and wished the Crown Prince well.
Silence.
A long silence.
Finally, Vanessa spoke.
Her voice was still gentle and proper, but Freya could hear it—
There was a crack beneath that gentleness.
“Freya…”
She said.
“You really are… a very interesting child.”
Freya lowered her head slightly, her posture humble.
“Your Majesty flatters me.”
Vanessa looked at her.
She looked for a long time.
Then, she suddenly laughed.
That smile was different from before—
It was no longer that gentle, kind smile, but something more complex and profound.
“You are right.”
The Queen said softly.
“Ross and Irina do indeed get along well.”
She paused.
“But the marriage of a Crown Prince is not something he can decide for himself.”
Freya looked up at her.
The Queen met her gaze, the smile on her lips slowly deepening.
“Some things depend on family, on bloodline, and on—”
She paused.
“On suitability.”
Freya nodded gently.
“Your Majesty is right.”
She stood up and curtsied slightly.
“Since His Majesty has not arrived yet, I shall take my leave first.
I won’t disturb your rest, Your Majesty.”
The Queen did not ask her to stay.
She simply stood where she was, watching Freya walk toward the door.
When she reached the door, Freya suddenly stopped.
She did not turn around.
“By the way, Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
Freya’s voice came from the front, light and faint.
“Irina recently took a week off, supposedly due to physical discomfort.”
She paused.
“If you see her, please pass on a message for me—
Get well soon, and there’s no need to rush back.”
With that, she pushed open the door and walked out.
The door closed behind her.
The Queen was the only one left in the hall.
She stood in place, staring at the closed door.
For a long time.
A very long time.
Then, she suddenly laughed.
The laughter echoed in the empty hall, gentle yet profound.
“Interesting.”
She said softly.
“Truly interesting.”
***
Freya walked out of the main hall and along the corridor she had come from.
The sunlight was bright, reflecting off the white stone steps and appearing somewhat dazzling.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, just as it had been when she arrived.
But her heart was beating a little faster than usual.
Every phrase and every word she had just spoken was carefully calculated.
She knew what the Queen wanted to test.
She also knew what the Queen wanted to get from her.
So she gave her a completely opposite answer.
-I’m not familiar with Irina.
-She has nothing to do with me.
-She and the Crown Prince are the ones who make a pair.
Where would these words lead the Queen’s attention?
Freya did not know.
But she knew that the Queen must be very confused right now.
When confused, she would investigate.
When investigating, there would be movement.
When there was movement, there would be flaws.
She needed those flaws.
***
When she reached the palace gate, she saw Raymond.
The Chief Attendant stood there, his posture as upright as ever.
“Miss Freya, I shall escort you back to the Academy.”
Freya nodded.
She boarded the carriage, and the wheels began to roll once more.
She leaned against the inner wall of the carriage and closed her eyes.
The confrontation just now had consumed a significant amount of her energy.
But it was worth it.
At least now, the Queen knew one thing—
She was not a chess piece that could be moved around at will.
***
The carriage drove out of the Imperial Palace and toward the Academy.
Freya opened her eyes and looked out the window.
The street scenery flashed past, with pedestrians, shops, and trees all blurring into a flowing stream of colors.
She thought of the Queen’s final smile.